Whilst Imperialism II technically starts in the 16th century, its endgame is set firmly in the Victorian era of iron and blood. Imperialism II was released in 1999 and despite its age, continues to hold up as a solid turn-based strategy game. Yet for all its imperfections, this game’s ability to capture the Victorian and the colonial machinations between imperial powers gave it an unmatched charm and historical depth one surpassing its Paradox rivals. Frame rate issues when scrolling around the map also remain. Turn times have been improved over the years through patching, but remain problematic. This was game-breaking when one turn simulated 15 days and the grand campaign stretched from 1850 to 1920. It takes minutes to process a single turn. Unfortunately, the game also stretches the limits of the client it was built on. Related: Check out our list of the best grand strategy games From a card-driven colonial system that is a game within a game, to clever mechanics that seek to differentiate state finances from that of private equity, Pride of Nations is a masterclass in game design. Despite its age, it remains both original and fun to play. It plays like any other AGEOD game in their long line of titles at least in terms of military mechanics. Pride of Nations goes a step further by expanding its scope over previous titles by adding deep economic, diplomatic, and colonial layers into the game. It sits on my personal shortlist of greatest games. Released in 2011, this game was originally published by Paradox but is now published by Matrix Games/Slitherine after developer AGEOD left the Paradox fold and joined the latter companies. With the preamble out of the way, let’s see what games there are to scratch that Victoria 3 itch… The era is dominated by action/adventure games and RPGs such as Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Red Dead Redemption 2 or This Land is Mine. We managed to find some gems that are worth checking out regardless. It’s worth noting that we haven’t mentioned Victoria II itself- it’s a valid option but if you’re like us, you’ve probably played it a lot already by now. This got me thinking, in the absence of the sequel everyone knows we deserve, what other Victorian games can we play whilst we wait?Īs I sat down to write this list, it became clear that there is a distinct lack of strategy games set during this period. Imperator: Rome showed that there is at least some willingness to look back at some of these more niche grand strategy titles, but that game also betrayed perhaps a reluctance to commit any serious resources towards such a project. Despite a dedicated fanbase, Victoria fans have been waiting over seven years for a sequel. Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun and its sequel Victoria II have always felt like the black sheep of the Paradox family.

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